Why take a Living DNA test?

Twice the detail of other ancestry tests

We give you your DNA mix across 80 world regions, including 21 in Britain and Ireland. You can also explore peer reviewed details of the areas of the world your ancestors are from.

3-in-1 ancestry test

Our test not only covers your family line ancestry, but unlike other tests we also include your motherline, and your fatherline ancestry if you are male.

View your ancestry through history

We put your ancestry into context showing your breakdown today (going back up to 10 generations), and also the spread of your ancestors at different points in history, showing how we are all connected.

Your ancestry results updated for free

As science and our systems evolve, your results will be updated to provide on-going details about your ancestry.

The Living DNA test has given me the most accurate results of all the biogeographical ancestry tests I've taken so far.

For the first time I have been given a sub-regional breakdown of my results which shows the regions within Britain where my ancestors possibly lived in the last few hundred years.

Debbie Kennett - Writer, Editor, Genealogist and DNA enthusiast

Living DNA is the world's most advanced DNA test, offering twice the detail of other ancestry tests.

Take your swab

Post your sample back

After you collect your DNA sample, pop it in the post using our free returns bag.

View your results online

Within 10-12 weeks your results will be ready to explore.

What you get

Living DNA is able to show you your ancestry in twice the detail of other tests. This is possible because of the scientific teams we work with, and the detailed ways in which they can explore your DNA. You can view your results online or in a personalised book, and this allows you to explore your DNA breakdown today, as well as the migration patterns of your ancestors dating back 80,000 years.

Family Ancestry

We give you your estimated family ancestry breakdown today, and we also put your results in context, looking at your ancestry through history. If you have British or Irish ancestry then it’s the only test that shows where within Britain and Ireland your ancestry comes from.

Motherline Ancestry

Find out where your motherline descends from with a detailed breakdown of all the ancestral groups that have been part of this line. Through your mtDNA, we look at the history of your motherline from the point in Africa when we all shared the same DNA until recent times. We also highlight any famous people who share the same motherline group as you.

Fatherline Ancestry

Through your Y-DNA, men can see the paths of their male ancestors and explore the history of their fatherline from the point in Africa when we all shared the same DNA until recent times. We also highlight any famous people who share the same fatherline group as you. You will only receive this if you are a male because females don’t carry the Y chromosome – however, females will still get parts of their father's ancestry through their autosomal DNA.

Family Matches

We’ll soon be giving you the choice to securely compare your DNA with other people's DNA in our database and that of our trusted partners. This means you can find family matches from all over the world. Our database is growing by the day and you will be updated with matches when new people join.

One Family One World Project

The One Family One World project is working to both map the world’s DNA and to help provide educational programmes to show the world that we are all connected based on our DNA.

Your privacy is very important to us

We believe you should always be in charge of what happens to your DNA. That’s why Living DNA acts as responsible custodians of your data for as long as you choose. All information is kept confidential and secure, and the company exceeds the leading quality and security standards.